Philadelphia, from the moment I drove through it a few years ago, has always intrigued me. The diversity, the vast collections of wall art covering the buildings, the fashion. It’s all so rich and overwhelming. Whenever we visit, it feels so familiar but like we’re also discovering something completely new and fresh. Oh the food we ate. And admittedly we don’t eat out a lot–whenever we do go it, even for a sandwich or something, it’s a special occasion. And we tell ourselves to calm down with all the spending. (like the meme) But vacations, even mini ones, are the exception to that rule for obvious reasons; we can’t bring our stoves and spices with us on the road.

So trips are a good time for field notes. Picking up recipe inspiration here and there. Usually I come back with a gold mine of ideas and memories of flavors still lingering on my palate. In Philly we had Senegalese food, an Ethiopian feast, an Amazing brunch at Cafe Lift (which inspired the post before last post’s post) as we left the city, Eric’s best friend asked to stop at a Philly Cheesesteak spot. Gah! The temptation. I was determined to go home and make a vegetarian version that tasted just as good as I remember it tasting the first time I had a cheesesteak in Philadelphia–that was last year around this same time.

So besides the incredible yassa relish, the spongy injera, and the stacked cannoli pancakes we devoured, I decided A philly vegetarian cheesesteak would do the blog some good.

I would bet this sandwich is the easiest sandwich I’ve made on the blog as of yet. Phillies are phillies because of the finely chopped texture of the meat; It falls halfway between ground beef and thin strips of steak. The texture is so luscious there’s really no effort requires to eat it. The juices from the grease and rendered fat from cooking and the soft onions with the condiments, creates this simple, sinful, heavenly fusion. So I added coarsely chopped, seasoned and sauteed mushrooms on fresh baked bread, and it mimicked the mouthfeel of a true philly.

Pat the sliced onions and peppers on a paper towel to make sure there is no residual water after rinsing and cutting them. Sear them in the hot pan until they're slightly charred on the edges. Cook them for about 6 minutes flipping them once in between. (Don't bother them too much while cooking so they can brown)

Add the water to the onions stirring until it evaporates. Salt and pepper the onions and peppers to taste, and then transfer them to a small bowl. Set aside

Coarsely chop the mushrooms and add them to a bowl. Add the mustard, chili powder, sage, and garlic and combine. Oil the skillet and sear the mushrooms until they brown. Remove from the heat.

Wipe the skillet down with a paper towel. Slice the bread lengthwise, and open them so they lay flat. Oil or butter the skillet, and lay the bread on the pan with their insides down. Cook for 45 seconds until they're just toasted.

Assemble the sandwiches, while everything is still very warm. Add the 1/2 the peppers, 1/2 the onions, 1/2 the cooked mushrooms, 2 slices or 1/3 cup of the provolone and condiments (I'm a ketchup and tiny bit of lite mayo person) Then wrap the sandwich with aluminum foil and let the sandwiches steam for at least 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt and the bread to soften.